


Blind Date

by shkanonyasutrice



Category: Battle Royale - All Media Types, Battle Royale - Takami Koushun
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Blind Date, Future, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 10:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13634217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shkanonyasutrice/pseuds/shkanonyasutrice
Summary: Five years after graduating high school, Sho Tsukioka moves to Tokyo, where he leads a content yet lonely life. One night, he's pestered into attending a blind date event, only to be paired with someone he thought had been left behind long ago. [Sho Tsukioka/Mitsuru Numai]





	Blind Date

“Come on, Zuki, just give it a chance.”

Sho Tsukioka rolled his eyes at his acquaintance’s whining, keeping his eyes fixed on his own drink, not bothering to immediately respond. Ever since this particular friend had spotted a flier tacked to a pillar in the bar, he had bugged Sho about it nonstop.

The flier in question was an event advertisement from the bar they regularly attended for some sort of matchmaking event. The premise was simple enough– if one was interested, they would just need to fill out their details, and the event organizers would pair people at random. Sho didn’t have any particular strong feelings towards the event one way or the other, but after his various acquaintances constantly bugging him about attending, he had come to be annoyed by the very mention of the matchmaking event.

“You’re lonely. You need to reach out to others!” his companion continued to whine. Finally, Sho raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’m doing just _fine_. Besides, some stupid little matchmaking event is for only the most desperate and pathetic losers,” he replied.

The other man’s words had irritated him, mainly because they may have brushed on some form of the truth. It had been five years since Sho had moved to Tokyo, and he had yet to have anything other than quick flings. Sure, he had a few distant friends, but when he returned to his small apartment late at night, there was something so bare about it all.

_Ugh. Don’t you hear how stupid you sound right now? You live in an amazing city, and you have access to the best night life. You’re. Fine._

Over the last five years, his quality of life had certainly improved. Growing up in a hick town like Shiroiwa meant that the dating scene for any gay people would always be a nightmare– not to mention the even weightier homophobic remarks from narrow-minded folks that grew up there. After enduring passive-aggressive behaviour from his peers for eighteen years, the moment Sho graduated high school, he gathered his things and moved to Tokyo.

Five years went by quickly, and he had adjusted easily to city life, spending most days wondering how he abided living in such a narrow-minded area for most of his years, with his father’s bar as his only safe haven, and even then that wasn’t always to be trusted. In the city, however, if he sensed any danger in a particular bar, he could simply go to the next one.

And now, as he listened to his acquaintance drone on and on about Sho’s apparent loneliness, he considered just getting up, leaving, and never entering this place again. His reasons for leaving past bars had always been serious and out of concern for his own safety, making this his pettiest reason yet. Sho couldn’t help it, however, as pests always annoyed him, and he didn’t care about this acquaintance enough to overlook his constant insisting on partaking in this event.

“Come on. It’s one night. What else are you going to be doing anyway? You aren’t seriously going to sit at home, bored out of your mind, right?”

Once again, Sho took a slow, contemplative sip of his drink. He considered what would happen if he did just get up and leave— his acquaintance would be right. He would sit at home that night, or perhaps find some other bar to go to, and repeat the same patterns he pursued every week.

Maybe this guy had a point.

“Fine,” Sho finally spat, slamming down his glass. “Only if you shut up about it once and for all.”

His acquaintance grinned, clearly feeling victorious. It wasn’t often anyone could get Sho to change his mind, and the man was already regretting his impulse decision.

Ugh, what a nuisance. Whatever, it’s one night, and if it’s really that pathetic, I can laugh at all the desperate losers who think that they’ll find love through some blind date service, he thought, rolling his eyes.

* * *

 

The following days went by quickly, and finally the night of the blind date event was on. As Sho checked over himself in the mirror, he ignored his phone’s persistent buzzing, indicating incoming text messages. He already knew that they were from his small group of friends, anxious to confirm that he was definitely going tonight. He pushed his phone away.

He had already told them every single day leading up to today that he was going, and he was getting annoyed at their concern. _I’m not_ that _much of a flaky person_ , he thought, feeling a little offended. He still couldn't say he was particularly eager about tonight, but he had to admit that it was appealing to do something different on a Friday night, rather than his usual hunt for a quick hookup.

 _Hey, maybe that's all I'm going to get out of this. That won't be too bad an outcome,_ he pondered. While that fleeting thought of loneliness did bother him the other day, he was certain that he wasn't about to go looking for a relationship. Besides, on the offhand chance he was interested in a relationship, he certainly wouldn't go searching for one at an event made only for the most lonely and desperate of losers. He already had a feeling that whoever the event coordinator paired him with was going to be a creep, but at this point, he didn't care. It'd make for a hilarious story someday.

_Bzzzzzzz._

"Oh my god, shut up already," Sho grumbled, focusing on fixing his pompadour instead. There wasn't a hair out of place on his head, due to his meticulous care, but he still gently ran his comb through once more to give it the look he considered perfect. 

Satisfied, he put the comb down, dusted the collar of his purple, buttoned up shirt, and gave himself a once-over in the mirror, and strode out of his apartment. Even if that night was a total dud, he decided he could take pride in the fact he would definitely be the best looking person there. He always prided himself on how good he looked, and almost felt sad that he wasted extra effort than usual on a night like tonight. He shrugged.  _Oh, well. At least I'll give them all something nice to look at._

By the time he began to stroll down the street, the sun had already set. In the centre of the city, where neon signs were always flashing, the stars above weren't visible. If Sho was a more sentimental person, he might have noted that as a significant change from Shiroiwa, but the truth was, he never paid much attention to his surroundings in that hick town. All he could focus on was counting down the years until he could leave. Well, he also focused heavily on his group of friends, who had been as thick as thieves up until they went their separate ways after graduating high school.

Fumbling for his pack of cigarettes and his lighter, Sho quickly lit one up, taking a long drag. He smirked to himself. When was the last time he thought deeply about his old group of friends?  He had briefly mentioned them to his new acquaintances, but didn't expand on how much they truly meant to them. Whenever his old group managed to pop into his head, he quickly brushed thoughts of them away. They hadn't parted on particularly bad terms, but Sho was determined to leave everything about that past life behind. That was how life went sometimes, and instead of wallowing in losing friends, he decided to focus on moving forward.

But, in quiet moments like these, especially when there was alcohol running through his system (he had decided to pre-drink a little in the hopes of tolerating this night), it was more difficult to push away thoughts of them. He had never bothered to write to them, or find them on social media. It was at moments like these, walking alone, when he used to walk with rancorous but dear friends, that he felt a twinge of regret from leaving them so quickly.

_Where are you stupid boys now?_

Taking another drag, Sho quickly expelled thoughts of them from his mind. They were in the past now, and had been for the last five years. He had new friends (even if they were more like acquaintances), and he was having fun with his life.

But, at the same time, there was a small part of him that wondered if he would be happier with having close friends in his life once more. His group of friends, as rowdy as they were, always made life entertaining, and made him feel loved in a town full of bigoted nuisances. His new group of friends didn't provide him with that- instead, they just seemed to butt into his business all the time. 

 _Whatever. At least they'll shut up for a while if I go to this thing tonight,_ he said, and as he saw the neon sign of his usual bar come into view, he finished off his cigarette, crushing it under his heel. It wasn't as brightly lit as other bars in the city, as most gay bars tended to try and keep a lower profile in the country, but at least they made an effort to put themselves out there.

On most nights, it was possible to hear music blaring from this far, but as Sho approached, he quickly realized they were keeping things at a lower volume tonight, so people could talk and get to know each other. It was certainly a different approach from the way finding a partner usually went, but he supposed he was curious to see the change in pace for himself.

Entering the bar, he noticed that there were several little tables for two set up, with more than half already occupied. There were some people sitting on their own, anxiously waiting for their blind date to arrive, glancing up at whoever entered the bar. Sho made eye contact with a few, and couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust. Nearly everyone here was well below his standard, and he was already regretting coming here. As he glanced around, he spotted his few acquaintances, already deep in conversation with their dates. If he wanted to bail, it didn't look like he'd have anyone to turn to, given how immersed in their conversations they seemed to be.

"Oh, Tsukioka, right?" a bartender came up to greet Sho. He figured she recognized him as a regular, but nodded to confirm his identity anyway. 

She smiled at him, and handed him a name badge.  _Oh, you have_ got  _to be kidding me,_ he thought, staring at it with distaste, before placing it on. He had submitted a form to partake in this stupid event a few days previously, where he listed his ideal qualities in a partner (which he made a half-assed effort to think about). With the form filled, it sealed his mandatory attendance. She told him his table number, and he walked over, taking a seat, and wondering how soon was too soon to start ordering more drinks.

After five minutes, he finally decided to order a drink, and sipped at it as he watched each person that walked in.  _Ugly, ugly, ugly._ He had no faith that this night would end in a satisfying way, so he focused mainly on the idea that he would someday get a good laugh out of this.

But, for tonight, he was prepared to partake in hell.

As he took another sip of his drink, he closed his eyes, savouring the sweet taste. As his eyes were still closed, he suddenly heard the sound of the chair across him scraping across the floor, and he opened his eyes in mild curiosity.  _Oh, look who decided to finally show up,_ he thought, raising an eyebrow. His eyes moved upwards, but froze upon seeing the other man's name tag. His mouth opened in an 'o' shape, and he reread the name tag twice more, to be certain he wasn't mistaken- that his brain wasn't simply conjuring up a familiar name based on his thoughts earlier. But, the writing was there in print.

_Mitsuru Numai._

His eyes finally met the other man's, who was staring at Sho in equal disbelief, having read his name tag as well.. In that instant, he knew that this wasn't a mere coincidence. The same brown curls, the same warm eye colour. The only change was the fact that this face now belonged to a slightly older man, but his adult years had been kind to his looks so far. There was no mistaking it; one of his old friends, who he was reminiscing about just minutes previously, was sitting right in front of him- and had been chosen as his blind date.

Before Sho could say anything, Mitsuru pushed back his chair, clearly intending to run. As soon as Sho sensed this, he reached out, firmly gripping onto his wrist. Instantly, a look of shame set over Mitsuru's face, and he sat back down, but avoided making eye contact. Furrowing his brows, Sho had no idea where to start with him. Clearly, normal date etiquette was out of the question here.

"Mitsu. It's been a while, hm?" he said plainly, tilting his head, and holding on a little lighter to the man's wrist.

Mitsuru still kept his eyes fixated on the table, looking like a child that had been caught stealing. A few moments passed between them, and Sho soon realized that Mitsuru wasn't planning on replying.  _Okay, there's no way in hell I'm sitting here in total silence for this whole night, especially when one of my old best friends is sitting right across from me._ Clearly small talk wasn't going to work. Instead, he decided to approach one of the main questions in his mind, albeit in a teasing manner.

"Hun, you know this isn't an event for straight people, hm?" he said lightly.

He already knew that Mitsuru wasn't stupid enough to turn up to a romantic event at a gay bar without knowing what to expect. But, in all their time as friends, he had never told Sho, or anyone in their group presumably, that he was anything but straight. Sho had to know if this was only a recent discovery, or if he had been hiding his sexuality from his friends the entire time- or, even worse, he was here to poke fun at gay people. He quickly brushed that last possibility out of his mind- even though their gang had always had a bad reputation, they were still more kind towards Sho about his sexuality than most of the so-called 'good kids' in their class.

"Come off it. I came here for the same fucking reason you did," Mitsuru snapped back gruffly. Sho raised his eyebrows at his hostility, but then softened his expression. He finally loosened his grip on his old friend's wrist, and instead gently laid his own hand over his. With that move, Mitsuru finally looked up, still looking at Sho with apprehension. 

"Hey, you should know I'm the last person in the world who'd be unhappy about this. How long have you known?"

"It only hit me after high school- I never hid anything from you guys, if that's what you're wondering. You would've been the first person I told, but you were already gone by that point, you know," Mitsuru replied, looking at Sho pointedly.

Sho felt two things at once- honored that Mitsuru would've turned to him first about this, and ashamed that he hadn't been there for one of his closest friends when he realized such an important aspect of his identity. 

"I-" he began, but was cut off by the obnoxious loud laughter from another table, quickly drowning out his words.

He scowled. While this place was ideal for casually talking to someone for the first time, it wasn't an ideal spot to catch up with a close friend who you hadn't seen in several years. Now that he had found one of his old friends again, he wasn't willing to let this night be a wasted chance to reconnect. Without giving it a second thought, he stood up, and Mitsuru looked at him questioningly.

"Walk with me? This place is getting stuffy, and fast," Sho offered, looking around in distaste at the crowd of desperate, lonely people. Much to his surprise, Mitsuru smirked, seemingly happy to see a hint of his friend he once treasured so dearly. He got up too, and they made their way through the uncomfortable setting.

As they were leaving, Sho briefly made eye contact with the acquaintance who begged him to come along tonight. The other man's eyebrows were raised, and Sho gave him a triumphant look in return.  _Okay, sure, let him think I'm off to fuck one of my old best friends. Why not?_ He quickly followed Mitsuru out the door.

The streets were still somewhat busy, but it felt much more serene compared to the stuffy atmosphere of the bar. Mitsuru stuffed his hands into his pockets, occasionally glancing at Sho, but not knowing what to say.  _Looks like it's up to me to break the ice again. Do I really have to do everything around here?_ he thought, thinking of something to say, or ask. Just as he opened his mouth, his friend suddenly spoke.

"I really missed you, you know," he admitted, almost with reluctance. Showing feelings upfront had never been his strong suit. He paused, and then added, "We've all missed you. It kind of sucked that you never stayed in contact."

Sho kept his pace slow, thinking over his next words carefully, and looked Mitsuru up and down. After carefully considering his words, he finally spoke again.

"You can stay pissed, but if it's any consolation, I'm beginning to regret leaving so suddenly. And, well, we're here together now, right? Why don't you come back to my place so we can actually catch up? I'm not shutting myself away from you," he said. Mitsuru considered it for a minute, and then nodded.

"Yeah, sure. We have a lot to catch up on, huh?" he said, and Sho felt a surprising pang of joy that Mitsuru agreed. He had missed his old friend, he was coming to discover.

As they approached the crossroads leading to his apartment, Mitsuru waited, staring at the symbol indicating it wasn't safe to walk yet. Sho looked at him with an amused expression, remembering when they were fifteen, and Mitsuru would stride across without a second glance, flipping off any drivers that honked at him for walking so briskly in front of their car.  _My, you've really grown up, haven't you?_ he thought, and smirked.

Much to Mitsuru's shock, Sho took a hold of his hand, absentmindedly intertwining their fingers and strode across the road, despite the fact that it wasn't safe to walk yet. Cars honked, but Sho ignored them. Instead, he turned back to look at Mitsuru, who had begun to keep up with Sho's stride.

As they walked, Sho took in his old friend's features. Having practically grown up with him, given how young they were when they met, he rarely thought about how pretty Mitsuru was back then. But now, as the lights from nearby late night stores illuminated his features, Sho noticed something about the boy that he had never took in during their teenage years- he really was handsome. In fact, he would almost bet that he was the most handsome attendant of that stupid blind date event- aside from himself, of course.

 _Hm. It_ is  _funny that according to our forms, we were the most well suited for each other,_ he thought, looking at Mitsuru softly. But then, as they reached the other side of the road, he let go of his hand.

"It's just a bit further," he said, and Mitsuru nodded, stuffing his own hands back into his pocket.

Sho quickly expelled those thoughts that had begun to cloud his mind, fumbling for his key in his pocket. Tonight, he decided, would just be about catching up with an old friend he lost touch with. He was nothing more than an old friend. But, even as he thought this, he found himself sneaking occasional glances at Mitsuru, and if he wasn't mistaken, he had caught his old friend doing the same.

 


End file.
